DENVER, CO – For 2018, Volvo is launching the new S90 luxury sedan. Hey, wait a second. Is this déjà vu? Wasn’t it just a year ago when the fresh-from-tires-to-roof Volvo S90 flagship came to our shores, dazzling us with its sleek lines, gorgeous Nordic cabin, and the supercharged and turbocharged four-cylinder engine?

Indeed, you weren’t dreaming. Let’s call this 2018 version of the Volvo S90 “take two.” It really looks no different, but in fact gets a 12-centimetre wheelbase stretch, almost all of it realized in rear seat legroom. Best in class, Volvo claims, and that class includes the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

This long wheelbase S90 is built in China, and it will be the only S90 available in Canada moving forward. So if NBA-grade legroom is your thing, you’re in luck. My ride from the Denver airport to our downtown hotel was spent in the back, and it truly is a capacious experience. Passengers on the right side can move the seat in front of them forward, enabling further stretching.

2018 Volvo S90 T8Peter Bleakney /
Driving

For 2018, we get an additional two powerplant choices. The twin-charged 2.0-litre four-cylinder, making 316 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque, carries over in the $58,400 S90 T6 – up $1,500 from last year’s shorter-wheelbase variant. However, the lineup now starts with the $54,950 S90 T5 AWD Momentum, which runs with a turbocharged-only version of the 2.0L engine, making 250 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque.

Topping the line is the plug-in hybrid S90 T8 eAWD, at $74,950. All models use a slick-shifting eight-speed automatic and now come standard with a panoramic sunroof and new infotainment software for improved response times and some simplified menus.

While there were no T5 variants available for testing, I did get seat time in top-trim T8 eAWD Inscription – the most premium of the bunch, if you measure luxury in terms of quiet operation and effortless urge. The T8 employs the 2.0L twin-charged engine, but the Haldex all-wheel-drive system is ditched for a 10.4 kWh battery pack and a rear-mounted, 87-horsepower electric motor driving the rear wheels. Dubbed “Twin Engine,” the plug-in hybrid system combines to make 400 horsepower and 472 lb.-ft. from 2,200 rpm.

On a full charge, the T8 is good for about 20 easy-driving kilometers before the gas engine kicks in. Overall, the system’s transitions are quiet and transparent, and with the instant torque of the electric motor always on tap, the T8 goes down the road in a relaxed and effortless manner. The electric motor takes some of the strain off that pressurized four-cylinder, which can get a bit gravelly when pressing on.

Despite this T8 plug-in hybrid version weighing about 250 kilograms more than the T6, it feels controlled and reasonably agile on the smooth and hilly roads outside of Denver. Equipped with the optional air suspension (a must with this new generation of Volvo, be they sedan, wagon or SUV) it’s a smooth operator, although you’ll find a tad more tire and road noise here than in the benchmark S-Class. The Volvo’s steering is not best in class, either, feeling artificial and at times uneven.

Ah, but the S90’s interior is exquisite, showing a simple and elegant Nordic aesthetic accented with fine brushed metals and beautiful open-pore wood. Every surface feels good to the touch, and the optional Bowers and Wilkins audio system is excellent. The two-tone steering wheel could be considered a work of art, and as with all Volvos, the seats are exemplary. This is a cabin that will never fail to make occupants feel special.

2018 Volvo S90 T8Peter Bleakney /
Driving

Directly ahead of the driver, a 12.3-inch configurable TFT screen takes care of major gauge-cluster duties, and topping the centre stack is Volvo’s signature portrait-oriented 9.2-inch touchscreen interface, now standard with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and a four-year subscription to Volvo on Call. It’s a clever, comprehensive and fairly easy to decipher system that, as with all of this ilk, asks a bit too much of the driver in the way of distracting screen poking, all in the name of reduced dash clutter (read: tactile knobs and buttons).

Volvo, of course, is all about safety, and standard City Safety incorporates vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist and large animal detection, collision mitigation, lane keeping assist, run-off-road mitigation, road sign information and more. If you want blind-spot detection (now with assist), you’ll fork out for an additional package that includes adaptive cruise control, cross-traffic alert, distance warning, rear collision warning and Pilot Assist, a semi-autonomous steering system that pairs with the adaptive cruise control.

The 2018 Volvo S90 T5 and T6 models are arriving in showrooms now, with the T8 eAWD coming late fall of this year. There’s no questioning this lovely-to-behold Swede is a legitimate contender in the premium European full-size sedan segment, but whether or not badge-conscious buyers are ready to welcome a four-cylinder Volvo into their exclusive club remains to be seen. Perhaps it’s time.